Cohort 35 student Ijeoma Asonye – known by her author name “E. Ozie” – will release her first novel this April.
Many college students have picked up hobbies during quarantine, but how many can say that they’ve used quarantine to write a book? Cohort 35 student Ijeoma Asonye – known as E. Ozie – can! A sophomore mechanical engineering major, E. Ozie combined her passions for STEM and writing with her upcoming novel, The Beautiful Math of Coral. Focused on students Coral and Fernando navigating school and pursuing arts and science, The Beautiful Math of Coral is slated to be published this April. I was fortunate enough to talk to Ijeoma about her inspiration behind the book, writing process, next steps, and advice for fellow QUESTees.
E. Ozie told me that she first developed an interest in writing in the spring of 2020, but has loved reading from an early age. She recounted reading Their Eyes Were Watching God in high school and was riveted with author Zora Neale Hurston’s use of metaphors and symbolism. Every person in her class had a different interpretation of the novel, and E. Ozie loved the diversity of thought. She felt as though the book “spoke to her” and has since had her eyes set on being an author herself one day. The day presented itself to her when an acquaintance asked if she wanted to join a Book Creator’s Program – an opportunity too good for her to pass up. “When I read that message, I felt like my destiny was calling,” she shared. The Creator’s Program allowed her to join a cohort of 200 authors, ranging in age, subject material, and years of writing experience. The group gave her a community of authors to bounce ideas off of, a greater understanding of how to develop a story, and a new group of friends also passionate about writing.
When asked about the inspiration behind her novel, Ijeoma told me that she pulled a lot of inspiration from her own life. E. Ozie relates to Coral in terms of having multiple passions that sometimes overlap. She also pulled a lot of inspiration from concepts she was learning in her engineering classes. “For example, we learned about the intermediate value theorem, and I was able to break it down abstractly and put the ideas into my story. Another time, I researched ‘weakly connected graphs’ … that’s what I named the chapter about Coral feeling disconnected to her peers.” In terms of the writing itself, E. Ozie first created an outline of the story and then began writing chapter by chapter. She balanced schoolwork with writing by setting deadlines (she’s a self-admitted deadline writer) and scheduling working blocks into her calendar. With all of her countless hours and hard work, she’s now in the revision stage and on track for her April publication date. She’s also begun writing her pre-order campaign materials and is scheduling podcast appearances to advertise her work.
E. Ozie’s hope for the book is that it will inspire more young adults to realize the beauty and art within STEM. She also hopes to gain some personal recognition! “I’m way too excited about this book. I’ve already started thinking about a spinoff.” When asked for advice she’d give to QUEST students, E. Ozie advised, “Find your passions and figure out how to combine them! Everyone has a unique value that only they can provide.” She also suggests being open-minded to trying new things. “Imagine if I didn’t take a chance with my book. I would have missed out on a lot of exciting things.”
You can support E. Ozie and preorder The Beautiful Math of Coral here! The QUEST community is proud of E. Ozie and her constant strive for innovation and creativity. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for this young author!
